Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Complexity: easily
Quantity: 10 - 12 pancakes

These classic Jewish potato pancakes are crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Grated potatoes are mixed with matzo meal, egg, baking powder, and chopped onion, which infuses the latkes with a sweet, spicy flavor and wonderful aroma. The pancakes are fried in generous amounts of oil, then topped with fresh herbs and served with sour cream and a spiced apple-pear sauce, which is best made ahead of time to serve while the latkes are still warm.

Ingredients:

Latkes

• 1 kg of potatoes
• 1 small onion
• 3 tablespoons matzo meal
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or chives, for serving
• Sour cream, for serving

Spicy Apple-Pear Sauce

• 3 Mackintosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces.
• 3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces.
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1-2 tbsp. sugar

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

potato, onions, matzo, apples, pears, applesauce (puree), lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, sour cream

We recommend

Preparation:

Step 1
• Peel and grate the potatoes in a food processor; transfer them to a large bowl when the food processor is full. Repeat with the onion. Transfer the onion to the bowl with the potatoes and add the matzo meal, baking powder, egg, and salt.
Step 2
• Pour 1 cm of vegetable oil into a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot, but not smoking. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of potato into it; if it sizzles continuously, the oil is ready.
Step 3
• Working in batches, scoop out ¼ cup of the potato mixture and carefully add it to the pan, flattening each portion lightly with a spatula. Cook, turning the latkes once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Remove any remaining potato pieces from the pan between batches.
Step 4
• Serve the latkes immediately or keep them warm in a 90°C oven. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with sour cream and spicy apple-pear sauce.
  
  
  Note
  
  If you need to fry a lot of latkes, it's better to mix the dough twice rather than in one double batch. The longer you let the dough sit, the more watery it will become, and the latkes will fall apart when fried.
Step 5

• Spicy Apple-Pear Sauce

  
  In a medium saucepan, combine the apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the apples and pears are very soft but still hold their shape, 15-20 minutes. Taste the mixture and add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar if needed.
Step 6
• Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk a few times until it thickens and forms small chunks. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve. If you prefer a smoother sauce, remove it from the heat, remove the cinnamon sticks, and whisk the mixture until smooth. Then cool.

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